Dallas Arts Week: Citywide Arts Celebration

Mayor Mike Rawlings and the City of Dallas Cultural Affairs Commission announce the 2nd annual Dallas Arts Week to be held April 5 to 13, 2014. Dallas Arts Week 2014 features more than 80 arts and cultural events in venues across the city: from Downtown to Fair Park; Northeast Dallas to Oak Cliff, and all points in-between!

Dallas Arts Week 2014 encourages residents and visitors to participate in Dallas’ arts and cultural offerings by experiencing the community’s creative resources and enjoying the breadth of activities; from festivals and plays, to concerts, exhibitions and literary events. This city-wide initiative highlights the vibrant arts and cultural sector of Dallas that, year-round, features myriad opportunities to engage in creative activities. Campaign partners include the Business Council for the Arts and KERA’s Art&Seek.

“Dallas Arts Week is a fantastic opportunity for the citizens and visitors of Dallas to experience the passion and vibrancy of the arts in our city,” Mayor Mike Rawlings said. “It allows people to experience the arts, engage in conversation about the arts, and realize the power of the arts.”

On April 8, Mayor Rawlings will moderate the Creative Conversation panel discussion to further the dialogue about the contributions of Dallas’ creative sector on the overall success of the city. The event takes place at Dallas City Performance Hall and is sponsored by the Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau. The event is free and open to the public.

KERA’s Art&Seek has developed a dedicated calendar of events listings for Dallas Arts Week, providing a comprehensive online resource for all activities (www.artandseek.org/artsweek). A Facebook page for social media postings is available at www.facebook.com/DallasArtsWeek. Residents and visitors wishing to share their arts experiences are invited to participate by posting their comments and photographs on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at #DallasArtsWeek.

ARTsPARK at NorthPark Center

Dallas Arts Week 2014 commences with ARTsPARK, an annual celebration of the arts presented by the Business Council for the Arts and held at NorthPark Center. ARTsPARK is a family-friendly festival of arts and culture. Now spanning two days, ARTsPARK includes performances, hands-on activities and demonstrations. ARTsPARK After Dark is a ticketed social event that takes place from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday, April 4. ARTsPARK is a free event that takes place from 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m., Saturday, April 5, 2014.

Citywide Performing Arts Celebration

The community-wide Dallas Arts Week celebration takes place at venues across the city with programs for all ages and interests. See Dallas Black Dance Theatre’s Spring Fiesta!in the Arts District (April 9 and 10), the Undermain Theatre’s regional premiere of We’re Proud to Present a Presentation …in Deep Ellum (April 5 to 12), Cambalache Teatro en Español’s La muerte y la doncella at the Bath House Cultural Center in East Dallas, or learn how to Make a Plate at the Kittrell/Riffkind Gallery in North Dallas.

Musical offerings include the Dallas Opera’s Barber of Seville on stage at the Winspear Opera House (April 5, 11 and 13), the Texas Camerata at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library (April 6) , and the Cool Thursday Concerts at the Dallas Arboretum (April 10).

Visual art exhibitions ongoing through the week include the Chrysalis fiber arts exhibition at the Texas Discovery Gardens in Fair Park, a retrospective of work by Dallas native David Bates at the Nasher Sculpture Center, the 11th Annual Hecho en Dallas exhibition at the Latino Cultural Center, and public art tours of the Love Field Art Collection at Dallas Love Field Airport (April 8 to 10).

Family-Friendly Arts Events

Family-friendly activities include the Crow Collection of Asian Art’s Kids Club (April 5) at the Trinity River Audubon Center, the Culture Out of School Open House at the South Dallas Cultural Center, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s Play AlongConcert (April 11 and 12) at the Meyerson Symphony Center.

For details about these and other arts and cultural events during Dallas Arts Week please visit www.artandseek.org/artsweek.

About the Cultural Affairs Commission

The City of Dallas Cultural Affairs Commission is an 18-member advisory board, appointed by the Mayor and City Council. The Commission works with the Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) to foster the development of the cultural system in Dallas that provides opportunities for all Dallas citizens and visitors to have access to the arts and the means of cultural expression. OCA provides a variety of programs and services, including the management and operations of seven cultural facilities, a public art program, cultural funding programs and WRR Radio. More information on the Cultural Affairs Commission and the Office of Cultural Affairs’ programs can be found at www.DallasCulture.org.

About Art&Seek

Art&Seek introduces you to the North Texans who make art, explores how they do it and helps you connect with it. Reports from the team’s arts journalists air regularly on KERA FM 90.1. In addition, more than 3,000 arts groups and their events are represented on Art&Seek’s calendar. Check that out, and more, at ArtandSeek.net. Art&Seek is a service from KERA/North Texas Public Media.

Dallas Summer Musicals

Tickets are now on sale at DallasSummerMusicals.org or by phone at (800) 982-2787. You can also purchase tickets in person at the Music Hall at Fair Park Box Office Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. g

*Please note that Dallas Summer Musicals/Ticketmaster is the ONLY authorized source for Hamilton tickets in Dallas. If you purchase tickets from any other source, you run the risk of overpaying or purchasing fraudulent tickets.